The top 10 fuel-efficient compact crossovers

Clockwise from top left, the 2015 Honda CR-V, the 2015 Lexus NX 300h, the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander, and the 2016 Subaru Forester.

John LeBlanc, Paul Choi, Lesley Wimbush, Handout, Driving, Subaru

If you're looking for an all-purpose vehicle that won't guzzle gas…

by
John LeBlanc | October 7, 2015

Small

Medium

Large

We’re closing in on the last few months of 2015, and the hottest new vehicle segment continues to be compact crossovers.

One of the reasons these practical vehicles continually find more followers is their purported car-like fuel-economy. To that end, we gathered the 10 most fuel-efficient new compact crossovers based on Transport Canada’s latest estimates. And to better match what the majority of new crossover buyers want, we avoided plug-in hybrid and electric-only vehicles, and all our picks come with traction at all four wheels and an automatic transmission. In cases where mileage figures were the same, vehicles were ranked according to price:

Grabbing our last spot is the $33,495 (not including freight and pre-delivery inspection fees) 2016 Subaru Forester 2.0XT. With its 250 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), the more powerful of the two Forester engines still scores a reasonable 10.2 L/100 km in the city, 8.5 on the highway and 9.4 combined estimates.

RELATED

While the majority of the most miserly new compact crossovers to make our list comes from mainstream automakers, the $36,990 BMW X1 xDrive28i offers the status of the famous German luxury brand in a fuel-efficient package. With its combination of 241 horsepower and 248 lb.-ft., a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and eight-speed autobox, the BMW scores estimates of 10.6 L/100 km city, 7.2 highway and 9.1 combined.

There are more fuel-efficient and less expensive versions, but if you want a Mitsubishi Outlander with all-wheel drive and an autobox, you’ll need to pop for the $27,998 Outlander ES AWC. Like many of the vehicles on this list, the Mitsu compact crossover comes with a CVT. A relatively tepid 166 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. is generated by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, which ensures the five-passenger Outlander’s excellent 9.9 L/100 km city, 8.1 highway and 9.1 combined fuel economy estimates.

With fuel economy estimates of 9.6 L/100 km in the city, 7.5 on the highway and 8.7 combined, Subaru’s Forester is the only compact crossover to appear twice on this list. Here in sixth-place overall is the $27,295 Subaru Forester 2.5i. It comes with the less peppy (but slightly more frugal) 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine, with 170 horses and 174 lb.-ft., and the Japanese automaker’s Lineartronic CVT.

Not only is the Mazda CX-5 one of the most engaging compact crossovers to drive, it’s also one of the most fuel-efficient. Performance fans may opt for the CX-5’s more powerful (184 horsepower) yet less efficient 2.5-litre four. However, rated at 9.3 L/100 km city, 7.6 highway and 8.5 combined, the $30,220 CX-5 GX – with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder gas engine providing 155 horsepower and 150 lb.-ft. – is the most miserly model if you want the available six-speed automatic transmission and traction at all four wheels.

U.S. auto sales were very hot through July, thanks to luxury vehicles and SUVs like the Nissan Rogue, which saw a 51 per cent jump in sales

All new in 2014, the second-generation Rogue comes loaded with more upscale exterior styling, a premium interior, new state-of-the-art driving and safety aids. And if you opt for the $26,448 Rogue S, you also get great fuel economy. Estimates of 9.5 L/100 km city, 7.4 highway and 8.5 combined come via an efficient 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine mated to a CVT, with 170 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft.

RELATED

In addition to seats for five, a quiet ride and handling package and a reputation as an excellent long-term buy, the $29,350 Honda CR-V LX offers great fuel economy, too, with estimates of 9.1 L/100 km in the city, 7.2 on the highway and 8.3 combined – and you don’t have to pick a fuel-sipping mill to get these numbers. All CR-Vs come with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder matched to a CVT, offering a respectable 185 horsepower and 181 lb.-ft.

Car geeks would call the Outback a station wagon. But so many Canadians see the Subaru as a crossover alternative, we felt obliged to include it. Of the many variations of the wagon/SUV, the most fuel-efficient without having to shift gears on your own is the $27,995 Outback 2.5i with a CVT. The vehicle’s 9.3 L/100 km city, 7.1 highway and 8.3 combined ratings are excellent, plus its 1,224-kilogram towing capacity is also unusually high for this class.

Marrying the platform of the Toyota RAV4 with the gas-electric powertrain of the Lexus ES 300h has produced the $59,450 Lexus NX 300h, not only the luxury brand’s first compact crossover but also the most fuel-efficient you can buy. With its 2.5-litre four-cylinder gas engine assisted by an electric motor powering its front axle, plus a second electric motor assisting its back wheels, the NX 300h puts out a combined 194 horsepower and 152 lb.-ft. Combined with its CVT, fuel economy estimates are 9.3 L/100 km city, 7.1 highway and 7.4 combined.